Rug scrubber



H. K. FATOUT March 7, 1939.

RUG SCRUBBER Filed July 31, 1936 /NVEN7 '0/? E/PT K 5179117 A rro/e/wsrs Patented Mar. 7, 1939 Y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,149,590 RUGSCRUBBER Herbert K. Fatout, Indianapolis, Ind. Application July 31,1936, serial No. 93,565

8 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in rug and floor cleaning devicesfor domestic use on floors and on rugs in place on floors, and forsimilar uses. The object of the invention is to provide a simple durablelight weight and low cost device which will be commercially practicaland convenient to operate.

A further object is' to provide a device capable of movement back andforth over a floor or a floor rug thereon, which device will mixcleaning and suds producing agents with water, carried by the device,and deliver a resulting suds to rotary brushes also carried by thedevice, without an excess of water, in order to scour and clean thefloor or rug without an excess saturation or wetting of the surfaceunder treatment.

I accomplish the above and other objects which will hereafter appear bythe mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is aside elevation of my device, broken away in parts to showinterior construction.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the device.

Fig. 3 is an elevation looking at the front end of the device.

Fig. 4 is a detail in cross section of the mixer blades taken in theline 4-4 of Fig. 1 and Fig. 5 is a transverse section on the line 55 inFig. 1.

Like characters of reference indicate like parts in the several views ofthe drawing.

The body of my device is preferably of sheet metal in the form of ahollow receptacle 6, which is closed at the top by a lid I, providedwith hinges 8 to allow the lid to be raised for access to the interiorof the receptacle and also to bring other members of the devicedepending from the lid, into view. I

The lid will preferably be hollow and filled with wood or other sounddeadening material which will reduce the noise of operating partsattached to the lid as will presently be described.

The receptacle 6 has a top flange 48 for the closed lid to rest upon,and to this flange the yoke 9' of a handle It] for propelling the deviceis hinged. The receptacle 6 is mounted on front and rear rollers l I andI2, in a manner hereafter described.

Mounted on lid 1 is an electrically operated motor l3 supplied withcurrent through a conductor I4 having a switch l5 conveniently locatedon the handle. The switch may have a plug (not shown) for disconnectingthe service end of the conductor.

The motor is fastened to the top of the lid by the motor extends throughthe lid to near the bottom of the receptacle 6 and attached to it are aplurality of blades l8 which will mix and agitate a liquid content ofthe receptacle.

The rollers H and I2 on which the receptacle 6 is mounted and theirrespective adjacent rotary brushes l9 and 20, are assembled andsupported in a like manner so that a description of one assembly willapply to both.

The two ends of the axle of the roller II are journaled iii respectivearms 2|" and 22 which are fixed to and are supported by a 1' bar 23fixed to the b'ottomof receptacle 6.

Each of the two projecting ends of the axle of brush [9 are journaled inthe respective arms 24 of bell-crank levers. This'arin 24 is pivoted onthe axle of the roller H and the other arm 25 of the bell crank leverenters a housing 26, loose- 1y, where it is attached to a spring 21, theupper end of which is attached to a lug 28 on the side of receptacle 6.The spring pulls up on the arm 25 thereby lowering the outer end of thearm 24 and yieldingly pressingtlie brush into contact with the floor orrug being cleaned.

The roller shaft carries a pulley 29 and the brush shaft a pulley 30,andthe two pulleys are drivingly connected bya belt 3| whereby the brushis driven fromthe roller.

The receptacle 6 has a discharge opening 32 in each end above the waterlevel of the receptacle. Through these openings, suds formed inthereceptacle by the rotation of blades [8 are forced out and are directedto the respective brushes by the outwardly sloping plates 33 and 34.

Located within the receptacle between each of its ends and the blades l8are respectively upwardly and outwardly sloping plates 35 and 36, eachhaving a horizontal top flange 31 directing the suds toward opening 32.An extended concave notch 40 will preferably be formed in the bottom ofplate 36 to allow a larger percentage of the suds to pass at the middle.

At the bottom of the opening 32 is a downwardly and inwardly slopingplate 38, and to further confine and direct the suds I provide thehollow member 39 which has sloping ends and depends from the under sideof the lid 1 for a considerable distance into the receptacle.

In operation the receptacle is supplied with a cleaning" fluidcontaining suitable soaps and powders. The motor is operated rotatingthe blades [8' and a suds created by rotation of the blades is forcedout through openings 32 upon the brushes l9 and 20. The brushes arerotated by moving the device forward or backward and the floor or rug iscleaned quickly without saturation with soap and water.

An important advantage of my invention is that, through its use, sudsare formed internally and applied to the rug rather than a flowing,wetting liquid, and thereby the moisture or water actually reaching therug is so limited that it does not penetrate the rug to the extent thatthe under side which is the sized side is wetted. Consequently the rugremains in shape without shrinking, crawling, or wrinkling afterscrubbing. It is further to be noted, that the machine may bemanipulated backwardly and forwardly without splashing of the liquidtherein over onto the rug or floor by reason of the presence of thecontrol plates Hand 36, and also the inturned lips 38. The depressedportion 39 on the lid also contributes to this prevention of splashing.The parts further tend to restrain flow of suds from the receptacleuntil they have been churned and worked up and out in a rather stiffmass, so that the suds will stand up well until worked through the napof therug by the brushes l9 and 2|). 7 The supporting rollers H and I2tend to smooth out and hold the rug stationary while the brushes l9 and2D, revolving at greater speedgexert a brushing action on the rugadjacent the rollers.

The most important feature of my invention is the making of the suds inthe receptacle and its discharge therefrom above the water line of thereceptacle in a way causing more than half of the liquid to drain outand remain in the receptacle and the suds to reach the spreading brushesin a damp instead of a saturated state. The brilliance of the rug orother floor covering is restored more completely and the dirt is notrubbed in and the covering left wet and dull as where the liquid andsuds are discharged profusely upon or the suds made directly on thefloor covering.

While I have herein described and illustrated the best embodiment of myinvention now known to me, it is obviously capable of modification invarious ways without departing fromthe spirit of the invention and Itherefore do not desire to be limited to the form shown or any more thanis required by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a machine of the character specified, a

movable receptacle adapted to contain a liquid capable of forming sudswhen agitated and having a discharge opening above the water line of theliquid, abrush having connection with and accompanying the receptacleand having suds distributing and scrubbing contact and movement,

with a surface to be cleaned, an agitator in said receptacle below thedischarge opening rotatable about a vertical axis for making suds out ofthe liquid and discharging them from the receptacle, and means forconducting the suds to and through the opening and to the brush.

2. In a machinerof the character specified, a receptacle mounted onrollers for to and fro movement, said receptacle adapted to contain aliquid capable of forming a suds when agitated and having a dischargeopening above the water line of the liquid, a brush having connectionwith and carried with the receptacle, means actuated by the movement ofa roller for imparting a scrubbing movement to the brush against asurface to be cleaned, an agitator in said receptacle below thedischarge opening rotatable about a vertical axis for making suds out ofthe liquid and discharging them from the receptacle, and means forconducting the suds to and through the opening and to the brush. I

3. In a machine of the character specified, a receptacle having a lidand being mounted on roller to be manually movable and adapted tocontain a liquid capable of forming a suds when agitated, a brushcarried by the receptacle and contacting a surface to be cleaned with ascrubbing movement, blades rotatable in the liquid in the receptacle toform and discharge suds, the receptacle'having an opening in its wallabove the blades and brush through which the suds are discharged by theblades, and plates at the side of the blades limiting the throw of thesuds and guiding them to the opening.

4. In a machine of the character specified, a receptacle having a lidand being mounted on rollers to be manually movable and adapted tocontain a liquid capable of forming a suds when agitated, a brushcarried by the receptacle and contacting a surface tobe cleaned with ascrubbing movement, blades rotatablein the liquid in the receptacle toform and discharge suds, the receptacle having openings in its wallsabove the blades and brush through which the suds are discharged by theblades, plates at the sides of the blades limiting the throw of the sudsand guiding them to the openings, and a member projecting downwardlyfrom the lid of the receptacle into the space between the plates tofurther confine.

and direct the movement of the suds in the receptacle.

5. In a machine of the character specified, a receptacle having a lidand being mounted on rollers to be manually movable and adapted tocontain a liquid capable of forming a suds when agitated, brushescarried by the receptacle and contacting a surface to be cleaned with ascrubbing movement, blades rotatable in the liquid in the receptacle toform and discharge suds, the receptacle having openings in its wallsabove the blades and brushes through which the suds are discharged bythe blades, plates at, the sides of the blades limiting the throw of thesuds and guiding them to the openings, and a member projectingdownwardly from the lid of the receptacle into the space between theplates to further confine and direct the movement of the suds in thereceptacle, and plates secured to the ends of the receptacle at thebottom of the openings sloping downwardly and outwardly to direct thesuds to the brushes. 7

6. In a machine of the character specified, a re-' ceptacle having a lidand manually movable and adapted to contain a liquid capable of forminga suds when agitated, one or more rotatable brushes adapted to makedistributing and scrubbing contact with the surface to be cleaned, saidreceptacle having a discharge opening over a brush, a motor mounted uponthe receptacle lid having a'shaft terminating in the liquid in thereceptacle and blades on the shaft adapted to rotate horizontally andagitate the liquid into suds and to throw. the suds through the openingin the receptacle to the brush, said opening being above the blades. 7

7. In a machine of the character specified, a

manually movable receptacle adapted to contain case may be, of thebrushes, and rollers to smooth out the rug and hold it stationary. 8. Ina. scrubbing machine, a receptacle adapted to contain a, suds formingliquid, means in the receptacle for making suds from the liquid, shaftson which the receptacle is mounted, rollers mounted on the shafts, armspivoted on the shafts,

resilient supports for the inner ends of the arms, rotary brushespivoted to the outer ends of the arms close to the rollers, and meansfor elevating and drying the suds and then discharging them upon thebrushes. 7

HERBERT K. FATOU'I.

